The 2025 NBA Finals are getting ready to go, with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Indiana Pacers. NBA fans should be preparing for some exciting basketball between two of the hottest teams that the league has to offer.
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Both sides love to run up and down the court, potentially sparking an entertaining basketball matchup. Entering the series, the Thunder are heavy favorites after a special regular season.
Oklahoma City was the best team all year long and is one of the strongest teams defensively in NBA history. But the Pacers seem to be the team of destiny, always seemingly finding ways to win.
However, in a new bold prediction ahead of the series start, the Cinderella run by the Pacers ends bluntly. Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report is predicting that the Thunder will sweep the Pacers in this series.
“The Thunder are 8-1 at home this postseason. They’ve won those eight games by an average of 27.9 points. They’re going to jump on the Pacers in the opening two games of the series in a way that will demoralize them. And though they’ll bounce back to a degree in Indiana, the Thunder just have too many weapons on both sides of the ball to be seriously threatened in this series. The Pacers’ home games will be competitive, but OKC is going to cap off this championship run with a sweep.”
Many believe this could be a competitive series, despite the Pacers entering as the underdog. But if the Thunder were to sweep, it would be a massively impressive feat considering how well Indiana has been playing.
The Pacers are entering the NBA Finals with a record of 12-4 throughout the postseason. Indiana used a strong second-half push to clinch the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference standings, and they have been one of the better teams in the NBA over the past few months.
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But the Thunder is a different animal than any team the Pacers have faced so far. Each team that Indiana has played had weaknesses that they could exploit, but the Thunder are extremely well-balanced on both sides of the court.
Indiana has all the tools to make this series compelling, but many see it as the Thunder’s to lose. Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set to begin on Thursday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
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For more Thunder, Pacers, and NBA Finals news and rumors, head on over to Newsweek Sports
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